"Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a
creative art." - Ansel Adams

I recently did a collaboration with Kuoloon Chong from kompactfaen. I’ve always been an admirer of his work. He has a great eye for detail, prop arrangement and composition, which translates into beautiful pictures. His specialisation lies in people and landscape photography, or even photos for creative purposes. He’s currently looking to expand his image content to include weddings. With him, you can be sure to receive professional and timely service.

Before the shoot, we met up once to discuss our collaboration over coffee. With a pen and paper, we scribbled down ideas as they came to mind. After conceptualizing the shoot, all that was left was its execution.

This was a collaborative process. Between us, we each contributed an element that made the shoot click. I conceptualized and styled the shoot, while he executed it. See credits below. For more outtakes, view here. I really liked how the photos turned out. It was better than I had envisioned it to be. Thank you, kompactfaen!

A few weeks back, I was contacted by Katheryn, founder of TinyTiles, to write a review on her ceramic magnet tiles. I’m glad to be able to support local businesses and print my Instagram pictures at the same time! Read on to find out what are some of the perks that you can get as my reader!

Katheryn very kindly sponsored me 6 ceramic magnet tiles for this post. Trust me, I had a hard time narrowing down to just 6 pictures, but here they are. I chose a mixture of my baking and travelling pictures!

The process was fuss-free, I just had to send them the 6 chosen pictures via e-mail and the rest was just waiting time. To be honest, I couldn’t wait for my TinyTiles to arrive!

The quality of the tiles was great, and the colouring of the photos was not compromised. What you see is what you get! They are about 45mm by 45mm in size. And wow, I didn’t expect them to feel this “heavy”! Unlike regular photographs, these are considerably sturdier for display. So you need not worry if they become flimsy over time. Moreover, each piece is handmade with love. I only wish they had different (bigger) sizing options!

These tiles make beautiful home decor and is great for personalising your space. You can even give them away as gifts. Imagine your friends’ surprise if they see their Instagram pictures converted into these lovely tiles!

I was so glad to receive the tiles. It feels nice to see my Instagram photos in print! What more, for something as practical as this. You can stick them on the refrigerator or any magnetic surface. I stuck them onto my magnetic chalkboard (from IKEA) and I’m also planning to bring them when I’m overseas for exchange later part of the year. Yes, I’m sentimental like that.

TinyTiles offers a selection of 3 tiles for $6.50, 6 tiles for $12, and 9 tiles for $18. To order, simply email them at tinytiles.sg@gmail.com. For more payment and shipping info, please visit their website here. You may also follow their Facebook page for updates.

If you want to transform your Instagram photos into these tiles, TinyTiles will be offering free local shipping to readers who quote “vickiima” when they order. Thank you so much TinyTiles for the generosity!

I’ve always loved baking cinnamon rolls, but I have recently begun making pull-apart bread for a change. You can also convert your favourite cinnamon roll recipe into a loaf of pull apart bread by assembling it differently. I will try to illustrate the steps in my post.

Although bread is relatively more time-consuming to make, this is worth the wait. Patience, my dear, is key. Each piece is soft and gooey, just like the best part of a cinnamon roll – the center section. I love the addition of pumpkin as it adds a natural sweetness, and not to forget, it has its superfood properties.

This is how the dough should look like after rising for about an hour in a warm place. Try placing it at the warmest part of your house. It should double in size.

Roll it out in an even rectangle, spread on loads of butter and generously top with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Cut it into six equal sections (look at the markings I have made).

Stack those layers together.

Cut it into six equal portions again.

Stack them sideways in a loaf pan. Voila! It’s ready to be baked.

After baking, it should look golden brown and risen. Can you tell how fluffy the interior of the bread is? Yeast is amazing.

The result was a decadent, soft, sweet and gooey bread. It’s hard to stop at one slice!

Pumpkin-spiced Pull Apart Bread

Ingredients for Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/4 tsp instant yeast or one package

1/2 tsp salt

4 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup whole milk

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 t vanilla extract

2 large eggs

Ingredients for Filling

5 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger (optional)

1/8 tsp ground clove (optional)

Ingredients for Maple-Rum Glaze (optional)

4 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon rum

3/4 cup to 1 cup icing sugar, sifted

Instructions

Make the dough by combining the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.

Heat the milk in the microwave for one minute. Add the butter to the milk and stir until melted.

Add the milk, pumpkin, vanilla and eggs to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until dough starts to come together, then increase the speed to medium high and knead for about 5 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic. Add more flour (by the tablespoon) as needed until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Some dough might stick to the bottom of the bowl, but this is okay.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place bowl in a warm area and allow dough to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

While the dough rises, making the filling. Combine the sugar and spices and mix well. Melt the butter in the microwave, about 30 seconds on high. Set the butter aside.

Once the dough has risen, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll into a ball. Punch out the air from the dough.

Roll the dough into a rectangle, about 12 by 20 inches. Brush the dough with softened butter and cover with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Cut the dough into 6 two-inch wide strips. Stack the strips on one another and cut them into 6 equal sections.

Stack each section into a greased 9 by 5 inch loaf pan, sprinkle any leftover sugar onto the layers of dough.

Cover the pan with a towel and let the dough rise a second time in a warm spot for 30 to 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden brown. Allow the bread to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before removing from pan.

While baking, make the glaze. In a small sauce pan, heat up butter and maple syrup on low until melted. Stir in the rum. Slowly add in the powdered sugar.

Drizzle with glaze (optional) when bread is still warm and fresh out of the oven.

Last weekend, I spent my Saturday afternoon making orange-inspired dishes and learning creative ways of incorporating this Vitamin C-rich fruit into my meals as part of the Sunkist Brand Moments Blogger Event.

It was a very fun and engaging hands-on cooking workshop. We made sangria, a baked salmon with orange salsa, and ended the session with a cook (or rather, bake) off challenge! And yes, we used Sunkist Oranges in all of them. I never knew that there were four kinds of Sunkist oranges – Cara Cara, Navel, Moro Blood, and Valencia Oranges. They vary in taste, appearance, and nutritional value. However, we only used Cara Cara and Valencia in our cooking session. I can’t wait to experiment with more!

Before the cooking session started proper, we were given the chance to make our own sangria. I don’t have the exact recipe but it was really simple! Two to three wedges of freshly squeezed Sunkist Valencia orange, some red wine, and Sprite. It was a delightful and refreshing concoction!

For the main dish, we made baked salmon and orange salsa. The dish was well complemented with an appetizer, caramelized Cara Cara orange with prawn and cream cheese. I think the dishes were quite professionally plated! *Pats self on the back*

The highlight of the day, for me, was the “Mystery Box Challenge”! We were given a box of random ingredients and told to create something out of our imagination within 45 minutes. Given the tight timeline, we had to think and work fast. I remember becoming silent for a good minute while everyone stared at me for answers since I was the only baker in the group. How stressful. Since time was of the essence, I thought we should make something that is simple yet photogenic.

Here’s a description of what we created: Tropical orange-vanilla cupcakes topped with meringue and caramelised Sunkist Cara Cara orange dipped in bittersweet chocolate. I got a glimpse of what it’s like to take part in MasterChef! I think we did well despite the time constraint. Eventually, my team was crowned the winner and we walked away with Grub dining vouchers. Well done everyone!

A group shot with my team!

Without further ado, here’s the recipe. Try it, it’s really simple!

Recipe for Orange-vanilla Meringue Cupcakes:

Orange-Vanilla cupcake –I don’t have the recipe for this, but you can use your favourite vanilla cupcake recipe and add in a tablespoon of orange zest.

Meringue:

3 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar

Use an electric whisk to beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually stream in the 1/2 cup sugar and continue whisking until the meringue forms stiff peaks. Spoon the meringue into a piping bag filled with a star nozzle.

Boil cream. Semi-melt chocolate in a microwave. After cream has boiled, stir it into the melted chocolate. Mix well. Lastly, add in the butter and mix well to combine. Use the chocolate immediately, before it sets!

To assemble:

While waiting for the cupcakes to cool, caramelize the sliced oranges with a kitchen torch. Be careful! Dip the oranges in the chocolate glaze. Place the dipped oranges on a sheet of parchment paper to set. After the cupcakes are cooled, pipe a dollop of meringue on each cupcake and top with the chocolate-dipped oranges. Enjoy!

Before I end the post, I’d like to share a vlog done by Felicia that encapsulates the experience very well.

It was a great and memorable way to spend my weekend afternoon. Special thanks to Sunkist Singapore, Edelman Singapore & Cookyn Inc for having me!